Srinagar: Thirteen Amarnath yatris were injured on Thursday in separate accidents in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam and Ganderbal districts, officials said here. Eight pilgrims were injured in south Kashmir's Kulgam and five more in central Kashmir's Ganderbal, they said.
In Kulgam, the officials said, a bus enroute to the Baltal base camp with around 40 pilgrims lost control and hit a tipper dumper moving in the same direction. The accident took place on the national highway near Nussu Badergund in Qazigund, they said. Six of them were administered first-aid at a hospital in the area and the other two shifted to the district hospital in Anantnag, the officials said.
The second accident involving a vehicle ferrying Amarnath Yatra pilgrims took place at Satrina in the Kangan area of Ganderbal, they said. Five people sustained injuries and were taken to the SKIMS hospital in Soura where their condition is stated to be stable, the officials said. "Three Shri Amarnath Ji Yatris, who had received minor injuries in a road accident near Badragund, Kulgam, shifted to GMC Anantnag.
Also read: Amarnath Yatris were warned 15-20 minutes before the flash flood, says ITBP official
Instructed District Administration & Principal GMC to take good care of others with minor injuries & ensure necessary arrangements for their travel," Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha wrote on Twitter. Meanwhile, the Yatra was once again temporarily halted due to inclement weather in Kashmir. According to sources, pilgrims were not allowed to go ahead from both sides Pahalgam and Baltal due to bad weather.
No pilgrims have been allowed to proceed from Base Camp Baltal on Thursday. The officials further said that no pilgrim has been allowed to visit the cave as the weather condition on the way to the cave is very bad and it is raining continuously. A Shrine Board official added that more than 3,000 pilgrims are currently staying at the Baltal base camp. Meanwhile, 600 unregistered pilgrims and tourists who were stopped last night have been sent back. Apart from this, pilgrims are also not allowed to go ahead from Baltal today.
Flashflood rescue called off
Sinha said the rescue operations launched following a flashflood near the Amarnath cave shrine -- that left 15 people dead -- has been called off and there was no report of any person missing. Referring to reports about several persons missing in the aftermath of the flashflood on July 8, Sinha said the helpline number of the shrine board had received about 200 calls and it took some time to track the yatris as their mobile phones were switched off.
Fifteen pilgrims have lost their lives and all have been identified. Fifty-five persons were injured and all, except two, have been discharged and have gone home, Sinha told reporters at the Raj Bhavan here. The Lt Governor said the two injured were undergoing treatment at SKIMS Soura here and their condition is stated to be stable.
"I hope they will also be discharged in a few days, he said, adding that 14 bodies were sent to their families in different states while the cremation of one was done here by the family," he said. He said the administration was in touch with all the state governments and as of now no person was missing.
